Foo Dog Lion Chinthe Antique Nepalese Jeweled Copper Censer Incense Burner 辟邪狮香爐

Description

Antique Nepali Copper Wired Censer
Chinthe Leogryph
Mythic Guardian Lion Censer
Origin: Nepal, Circa: 1920s’
H 5 in (12.5cm), W 7 in (17.5cm), D 3 in (7.5cm)
Condition: aged tarnish, missing shell inlays!
The Chinthe is related to East Asian Leogryphs, such as China's guardian lions, Komainu of Japan, Shisa of Okinawa, Singha of Thailand, snow lion of Tibet, and the Simha of Sri Lanka. They are the symbol of power, strength, and dignity, mythical guardian creatures that protect temples, homes, and imperial palaces in Southeast Asia's cultural history. With the common hieratic features of a Leogryph, the Chinthe lion censer here appears ferocious. It has a large head embedded with rows of turquoises, a fan-like mane sectioned into rows of red corals, a densely wired round snout with flared nostrils, and powerful jaws baring fangs in a devouring mien. His brows deeply furrowed above two shell inlay bulging eyes, on his neck an elaborate jeweled large collar, with numerous turquoise beads tightly interlaced throughout the figure, and on his back a series of intricate copper wires woven into a pair of wings, which fold back toward the Chinthe's rhythmic curling tails with two teardrop-shaped red corals. The Chinthe censer is intricately formed with a removable head. Despite its age, it is missing only a shell inlay on the left fang. The copper wire incense burner has an aged patina that enhances the intricate designer quality of the piece.
*Authenticity Guaranteed. BuddhaMuseum specializes in temples and family worshipped Buddhist arts. We guarantee all artifacts to be genuine as described. It is our policy never to list fakes as genuine deliberately.